Tillerson Comes Up Short in Effort to Resolve Qatar Dispute

KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait — Weary after failing to resolve a bitter dispute among regional allies, Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson left the Middle East on Thursday, contrasting the “fragmented” decision making of the United States government with that of Exxon Mobil, the “highly structured” company he once ran.

The last stop in his effort at shuttle diplomacy was in Doha, the capital of tiny, gas-rich Qatar, where he consulted on Thursday with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, the emir, about his meetings the day before with the Saudi-led coalition behind the embargo of Qatar — an action that threatens a variety of United States priorities in the region.

A meeting Wednesday at the royal airport lounge in Jidda with Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir of Saudi Arabia gave some hope of progress, as the two men huddled for a long talk and then sat nearly knee to knee and simultaneously consulted their cellphones.

But Mr. Tillerson left Jidda Wednesday night without even attempting the usual tight-smiled announcements of incremental progress.

“I’m tired, I’m tired, been a long trip,” Mr. Tillerson told reporters on his plane after leaving Doha on Thursday. Asked what most surprised him in his new job, he said, “Well, it is a lot different than being C.E.O. of Exxon because I was the ultimate decision maker. That always makes life easier.”

He spoke fondly of the discipline that marks the oil giant’s decision-making process. “That allows you to accomplish a lot, to accomplish a lot in a very efficient way,” he said.

“Those are not the characteristics of the United States government,” Mr. Tillerson said. “And I don’t say that as a criticism; it’s just an observation of fact. It’s largely not a highly disciplined organization, decision making is fragmented, and sometimes people don’t want to take decisions, coordination is difficult through the interagency — has been for every administration.” He added that “we have a president that doesn’t come from the political world either.”

Much of Mr. Tillerson’s focus since taking office has been on an effort to restructure the State Department, but the extended process and proposed deep budget cuts have resulted in a mixture of bewilderment and fierce opposition even among Republicans on Capitol Hill. Despite these difficulties, Mr. Tillerson decided to try his hand at shuttle diplomacy this week. But after three days of sipping tea with royalty on white coaches in ornate palaces, he said that a solution remains far off.

“Right now, the parties are not even talking to one another at any level,” he said of the dispute between Qatar and four Persian Gulf countries, led by Saudi Arabia. Some of the issues that led the four to impose an embargo against Qatar are so complex that the “ultimate resolution may take quite a while,” he added.

“You know all four of these countries are really important to the U.S.,” Mr. Tillerson said. “It’s the reason I came over to take a direct interest in it because we need this part of the world to be stable and this particular conflict between these parties is obviously not helpful.”

Part of the reason a deal could not be reached might have something to do with President Trump’s embrace of King Salman of Saudi Arabia. The president’s support is thought to have given the kingdom the confidence to start and then stick by the embargo regardless of Mr. Tillerson’s increasingly urgent and frustrated pleadings.

As he left Qatar on Thursday, Mr. Tillerson shook hands with Sheikh Mohammad bin Hamad al-Thani, the brother of the emir, who was overheard saying to Mr. Tillerson, “Hope to see you again under better circumstances.”

Whether the continuing dispute between Qatar and the other United States allies in the Persian Gulf has strategic consequences may become clear as soon as next week, when representatives from more than 70 countries united against the Islamic State extremist group will convene in Washington to discuss how to rebuild and govern Mosul and other areas of Iraq newly liberated from the militants’ brutal control.

The Trump administration, which has refused to engage in nation building, is hoping to rally a united Arab world to undertake the huge effort, but as the Qatar crisis demonstrates, such unity may be difficult to achieve.

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page A8 of the New York edition with the headline: Qatar Feud Defies Efforts By Tillerson To Unite Gulf. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe